For perhaps the first time, Japanese fans can realistically dream of a deep run in the World Cup. The Samurai Blue have emerged as the clear-cut best team in Asia, and they were dominant throughout qualifying, scoring 54 goals and conceding only three. Japan has never made it past the Round of 16, but after friendly wins over the likes of Brazil and England, the Samurai Blue have to believe.

On Friday, Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu announced the 26 players who he will take to North America for this summer’s World Cup. Kaoru Mitoma, on paper the Samurai Blue’s best player, was not one of them. Here are the players who did get the call:

Full Roster

Goalkeepers (3): Tomoki Hayakawa (Kashima Antlers), Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Zion Suzuki (Parma Calcio)

Defenders (9): Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Shogo Taniguchi (Sint-Truiden), Kou Itakura (Ajax), Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Feyenoord), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ajax), Hiroki Ito (Bayern Münich), Ayumu Seko (Le Havre), Yukinari Sugawara (Werder Bremen), Junnosuke Suzuki (FC Copenhagen)

Midfielders/Attackers (14): Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Junya Ito (Genk), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Koki Ogawa (NEC Nijmegen), Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ueda Ayase (Feyenoord), Ao Tanaka (Leeds United), Keito Nakamura (Reims), Kaishu Sano (Mainz), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Yuito Suzuki (Freiburg), Kento Shiode (Wolfsburg), Keisuke Goto (Sint-Truiden)

Analysis

Key Players

Unlike in most previous iterations of the World Cup, in which a majority Japan’s squad came from the J-League, the Samurai Blue have elite-level talent scattered all throughout Europe. Daichi Kamada is a regular starter for a Crystal Palace side that advanced to the Europa Conference League final, Daizen Maeda has six goals in his last four matches for Celtic, which is playing for its fifth consecutive Scottish Premiership title, and Ayase Ueda is running away with the Golden Boot race in the Dutch Eredivisie. Defensively, the Samurai Blue are stacked as well; Hiroki Ito has started each of the last five Bundesliga matches for league champions Bayern Münich, and while Werder Bremen has had a rough season, Yukinari Sugawara has six assists as a right back. Zion Suzuki is a weekly starter in Italy’s top flight and has been linked with a move to Manchester United this summer.

Key Omissions

Both of the most notable omissions from Japan’s squad are the result of injury, although one was far more expected than the other. Mitoma has had a strong season for Brighton, starting 19 matches and scoring three goals as the Seagulls are inching closer towards Europa League qualification, but he suffered a hamstring injury last Saturday in the win against Wolves. Mitoma’s loss is critical for the Samurai Blues; he has the second-highest value on the transfer market and ranked third on the team in assists during qualifying despite playing only seven matches. Additionally, Takumi Minamino was expectedly left out of the squad; the Monaco midfielder sustained a torn ACL in December, so returning to action even for the knockout stages would’ve been a major surprise. Japan should still be able to cover for Mitoma’s and Minamino’s absences, as its forward depth is impressive, but entering the World Cup with perhaps its highest expectations ever and without two of its best players is never an ideal position.

Japan World Cup 2026 Odds

The Samurai Blue are +500 to win the World Cup, +250 to win Group F — which also features the Netherlands, Sweden, and Tunisia — and -400 to qualify for the knockout stages. They’ll open their tournament with a 4 p.m. ET match against the Oranje on June 14th in Dallas, in which they are +240 underdogs to win and +260 to draw.

Japan’s best-ever performance in the World Cup is the Round of 16, which it achieved in 2002, 2010, 2018, and 2022. It last won its group in 2022, securing six points and topping that tournament’s Group E ahead of Spain.